Local referees say NFL replacements are in over their heads

Wednesday

Sep 26, 2012 at 12:01 AMSep 26, 2012 at 9:56 PM

Local football officials don’t envy the pressure placed on the National Football League’s replacement referees, but they agree with the scores of football fans who believe the interim officials botched a major call Monday night.

Phillip Gardner and Richard Walker

Local football officials don’t envy the pressure placed on the National Football League’s replacement referees, but they agree with the scores of football fans who believe the interim officials botched a major call Monday night.

Seattle beat Green Bay on Monday after officials ruled that Golden Tate scored the game-winning touchdown on a desperation pass from Russell Wilson on the final play. The replay appeared to show that Packers safety M.D. Jennings intercepted the pass.

The replacement referees are filling in during a lockout by the regular referees. The replacements are doing the best they can with limited training at the professional level but are probably “shaking on just about every play,” said local high school and middle school official Steve Culbertson.

“Most of the (college) games they call, probably the biggest crowd they’re going to have is maybe 5,000,” Culbertson said. “Now they’re out there calling in front of 70,000 live — I don’t know how many millions are watching on TV — and they know they’re being scrutinized on every play.”

Culbertson, a Gastonia resident, has officiated high school games since 1979 and middle school games since 1974. Although he said the replacement referees are in a tough position, Culbertson said he would have gladly filled those same shoes had he been given the opportunity.

Linc Pauley, a Stanley resident who has been officiating football games for 37 years at the middle school, high school and college levels, offered a similar take on the replacement referees.

“None of us blame those guys,” Pauley said. “But they’re in so far over their heads. The speed of the game and rules from college to pro are so different.

“There’s a reason there’s only 350 professional referees — and that they didn’t referee at any other level.”

Culbertson and Pauley both said the officials in Monday night’s game should have conferred before making an initial ruling. Pauley was on a crew that had the same call in the Sept. 14 high school game between Bandys and Draughn.

“We talked about it and made sure we got the call right,” Pauley said.

Such plays are rare.

Forestview High School football coach Chris Medlin said he’s never been part of a game that was decided by a controversial ruling by a referee. Here’s how he believes he would have reacted had he had been on the wrong side of such a call:

“You’ve got to respect what’s called,” Medlin said. “They’re there doing a job and you’ve got to respect the integrity of the game, and respect the officials. You may not like it but if that’s what they decide, then you’ve got to live with it and move on.”

Grier Middle School coach Tyson Graham, on the other hand, does remember a game in which his team had a touchdown called back by a penalty that he never saw when he reviewed the game film later. The touchdown, had it stood, would have given his team the lead in an eventual loss.

“You can always argue you shouldn’t have put yourself in that situation,” Graham said.

Still, Graham feels bad for the players and coaches who found themselves on the wrong end of the NFL call Monday night.

“They’re fining those guys, so I would have to react the same way,” Graham said of the “no comment” approach to reporters after the game. “At the same time, they probably feel like they shouldn’t be in that situation. You don’t want to be on that side of that call.”